


Winding the Watch

by TheMilahsKillyBear



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-03-26 01:06:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13846818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMilahsKillyBear/pseuds/TheMilahsKillyBear
Summary: Summary: After what he believes to be a nightmare, Killian wakes up back in his tower. But the appearance of something in his pocket makes him realize that it was more than a simple nightmare. How will he find a way to stay alive for Alice? Inspired by All Dogs Go to Heaven.





	1. Chapter 1

 

Killian groaned, opening his eyes slowly. One second, he had been floating in midair, and now he was on a pile of what felt and sounded like clocks. He sat up, looking around in total confusion. “Where the bloody hell am I? Alice? Alice!” He called out, looking around for his daughter. But she was gone. Nowhere in sight, and he could see for miles around somehow. Then he heard a voice, something soft, soothing.

“Welcome to heaven, Killian.” She said, walking closer to him slowly. He turned around and stared at her. “I have to get back to my daughter.”

“No one can go back.” She reached up and plucked a clock out of midair, and held it in both her hands. It was a pocket watch, one that was vaguely familiar to him. “This clock represents your life, and it’s stopped.”

“No. That’s impossible. I have to go back!”

“I’m sorry. You can’t. No one is ever allowed to go back.” She repeated, reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder. He felt a strange warmth, something that soothed and calmed his worries and fears. Alice… He stepped back, shaking his head, then made a grab for the watch only to find it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. He looked around at the piles of clocks at his feet, then saw it on a waterfall of clocks of all kinds, leading to a place with a sign marked ‘Shooting Stars.’  
  
He thought quickly, then turned to the strange woman. “Would you care for a dance?” She laughed softly, but took his hand, laying her other hand on his brace. Killian began dancing her around slowly, keeping his eyes locked on hers as his foot hooked into the chain of his pocket watch. A moment later, it was in his pocket thanks to a quick stumble that had him and his dancing partner laughing.  
  
“So, are you going to show me around this place, love? It looks amazing.” He said, releasing her hands and sliding his hand and hook into his pocket, winding up the pocket watch quickly.  
  
“Oh, of course. Follow me.” The woman said, leading him around slowly, glancing back at him. He looked around, and for the briefest of moments, knew he would be content in this place when it was his time.  
  
Suddenly, the watch would not wind up anymore, and he was back in his own body, laying on his bed in the tower, taking a deep, gasping breath. He looked around quickly, then saw Alice asleep in her own bed and sighed in relief before he heard a voice and felt a watch in his pocket that hadn’t been there before. “You can never come back… You can never come back…” It said, the watch face glowing. He shut the top of it, stuffing it beneath his pillow. Whatever had happened, he would deal with in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

The years passed, with Alice growing to a young woman, until the day Gothel returned. The day he failed his daughter thanks to his foolish pride for a time long since past. In one instant, her life and his were shattered. He fell in with the heroes, Killian hit the ground hard, gasping in pain before he cried out as Alice came closer to him. Regina ran to his side immediately, kneeling beside him. “Hook!” She called to him, looking him over. Regina sent Henry and Ella after Alice, to make sure she was alright. “I’ll be alright.” Killian groaned softly, closing his eyes. “Who was that?” Regina asked, frowning at him. “I’ve never seen her before.”

“That was my daughter. Alice.” Killian explained, getting up slowly, pressing his hand over his heart. “We’re cursed. The Curse of the Poisoned Heart. By Gothel.” He winced as she guided him onto a small camp bed, built up with furs and tucked one around him gently.

“Was that the first time you saw her since you left the tower?” She asked gently, meeting his eyes. Killian sighed deeply, then nodded sadly.

"Aye. She’s grown into a beautiful lass, and I’m proud of her, but I can’t spend very much time around her. And I can’t be close to her at all physically. Not since she was ten years old.” Killian told her, laying his head back down. “I failed my daughter, and then I… I couldn’t tell her how much I loved her. For eight years, we’ve been apart. I’ve missed out on her entire life, trying to kill Gothel and find a way to break the curse. But then I lost hope. I started giving up, and she deserves better than that. She deserves someone who won’t give up on her."

“You didn’t give up. You never stopped loving her. It’s impossible for a parent to stop loving a child. I know. I could never not love Henry, no matter how old he gets, how grown up he is. Some people aren’t meant to be parents, Killian, but you’re not one of those people. You never have been, I can see it."

“How?” Killian asked, sitting up a little more before he settled back down. 

“It’s not something I can really explain, it’s just something I know. Tell me you wouldn’t have given up everything for your daughter. Tell me you didn’t. You spent those years in the tower with her when you could have stayed on your ship. You chose family over freedom. That’s how I know you’re a good father. Your father didn’t do that for you, and my mother didn’t do that for me. Maybe that’s why we’re good parents. Maybe we learned how to do things by resolving not to be like our parents.” Regina shrugged. “Not that it matters. You’re a good father, Killian Jones.” She told him, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “Now, get some rest. That curse definitely took a lot out of you, and we’ve got work to do if we’re ever going to break this curse and get you and your daughter reunited.”

“At least I know I won’t die before we break the curse.” Killian muttered, patting his pockets down until he found the watch. 

“What’s that?” She asked, nodding at it.

“This is something I thought was from a dream, until I realized that when the watch stops ticking, I die. It’s my lifespan, somehow. I came back from the dead, if you can believe that, when I wound the watch again.” Killian told her, studying the watch briefly before handing it to Regina.

“So that legend is true, too.” Regina shook her head, staring at the watch. “What happened when you wound it back up?”

"Someone told me I could never go back to where I found this. Whatever that means.” Killian shrugged.

"It means that when you die, your afterlife will be hell.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is going to be a multi-chapter thing and a crossover between All Dogs go to Heaven and Season 7 of OUAT. KnightRook feels ahead with someone trying to kill Killian and take Alice for himself or herself.


End file.
